The government campaign No to Vaping calls on parents to talk to their children in a timely manner about the harmful effects of vaping.

Vaping is not only toxic, it also disrupts brain development and is extremely addictive. Research among 12 to 16-year-olds shows that more than a quarter of them have already vaped. Among 12-year-olds, thats almost 1 in 10. Nearly 1 in 3 young people aged 12 to 16 who vape do so daily. Today, the new national information campaign No to Vaping starts. The campaign aims to inform parents about the dangers of vaping, to talk to their children about it in a timely manner, and to say no to vaping together. The campaign is part of the Action Plan against Vaping by Secretary of State Vincent Karremans (Youth, Prevention, and Sports).

Secretary of State Vincent Karremans: “That 1 in 10 children aged 12 has already vaped makes it very clear how serious the problem is. Vapes often contain a lot of nicotine, sometimes up to 400 times the amount of nicotine in a cigarette. Nicotine is the most addictive drug after heroin and crack. So even vaping once is very risky. That’s why it’s super important for parents to talk about it at home with their children in time and to say no to vaping together. That is central to our campaign. We must do what we can to ensure that children do not end up in the hospital due to vaping.”

• 1 in 7 young people (14%) indicate that when offered a vape, they find it difficult to say no.
• 1 in 6 young people (16%) indicate that they sometimes feel pressured to vape.

That vaping is addictive is confirmed by the research. Of the vaping 12 to 16-year-olds in this study, 38% report being addicted to vaping.

“Young people become addicted to vaping very quickly, without realizing it,” says Prof. Dr. Arnt Schellekens, National Rapporteur on Addictions and Professor of Addiction and Psychiatry at Radboudumc. “The brains of young people respond more strongly to rewards than those of adults, making them less resilient to temptation and subsequently becoming addicted faster and more intensely.”

In the image above, the approximately 20,000 (1 in 10) twelve-year-old children who have ever vaped are visually represented at the Malieveld in The Hague. The virtually filled Malieveld shows the scale of the problem. The campaign calls on parents to inform themselves about the harmful effects of vaping and encourages them to talk to their child about vaping in a timely manner using concrete tools.

Secretary of State Karremans: “Vapes have an unjustly perceived image among many parents that they are less harmful than cigarettes. We need to dispel this as quickly as possible together. Research shows that as a parent, you can play a crucial role in preventing your child from starting to vape. You really have more influence than you might think.”

For tips, visit neetegenvapen.nl.

The information campaign is part of a broader Action Plan against vaping that Secretary of State Karremans presented in mid-March. The plan focuses on three tracks: combating illegal trade, preventing young people from starting to vape, and encouraging and supporting those who want to stop vaping. The action plan includes additional powers and extra funding for the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority to combat the growing illegal trade.

The campaign has been online since May 12 and can be heard on the radio. Parents receive guidance on how to best talk to their child about vaping at neetegenvapen.nl. As part of the campaign, parents can participate in a national online parent evening led by experts and educators after the summer holidays.

GeoCraft is an educational Minecraft project where the whole of the Netherlands has been recreated in the popular game Minecraft. The project was set up by GeoFort, in collaboration with organizations such as Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Rijkswaterstaat. Using geographic data, a virtual version of the Netherlands has been created consisting of approximately 1,000 billion Minecraft blocks. Everyone can visit the No to Vaping environment in GeoCraft.